Back
by LSpade
Summary: AU Early season 10. The events of a Saturday night out leading up to a sweet revelation.


**Guess who's back again! New one shot here. This takes place early season ten with an AU twist. The only real difference is that Chloe never left. Everything else happened exactly; this story could be put between **_**Shield**_** and **_**Supergirl**_**.**

**DISCLAIMER: No ownership of any kind.**

"God, this totally beats running," Lois panted as she threw her head back on the couch.

The cousins were spending a Saturday off from work in front of the television, sweating their asses off to the Zumba Dance Workout game. Seeing as how they barely got to see each other because of work and their respective love lives, Lois and Chloe try to cut time out for one another.

"Tell me about it. I just burned countless calories in the comfort of my own apartment without the tedious exercises," Chloe said as she grabbed a water bottle from the fridge.

"And I knew you can dance, but damn, cuz! You can move that body."

Chloe grinned and swallowed a huge gulp of water. "Don't think I didn't notice how you can shake your ass."

"Dancing makes me feel sexy," Lois shrugged, closing her eyes and her panting slowed to calming breaths.

Chloe moved over to the accent chair across from the couch. "Like you need any help being sexy."

"It's not about _looking_ sexy. It's about feeling it." Lois looked over at her cousin. "Shown Ollie those moves?"

The blonde grinned. "We don't go dancing too often, but he's seen what I can do."

"I'm sure. Ollie loves a woman who knows how to use her body."

"Right. Well, ready for another round?" asked a blushing Chloe.

Lois smiled and sat up. "Hell yeah."

(((o)))

"I don't know, Oliver. It's hard seeing her since we broke up," Clark said as they entered the Talon. "And I haven't even seen her since she came back from Egypt."

"Come on, Boy Scout. You don't get out much lately. Besides, we're all just hanging out as friends. No couply stuff."

"I get out," Clark protested.

"The Planet and patrolling don't count," Oliver said as they climbed the stairs. Clark had nothing else to say. "See? When's the last time you had any fun?"

"I don't have the luxury of having fun."

"Because you won't let yourself. You're a hero, yes, but you don't have to sacrifice down time. You're too stiff."

Clark grumbled at that and they entered the apartment above the Talon. Upon opening the door, international music filled their ears – something of the Latino variety – but what had the men's attention were the dancing bodies of the two women, scantily clad in sportswear. They were shaking their shoulders and gyrating their hips and laughing happily to the music. Oliver was smirking as he watched his girlfriend dance while Clark stood mouth gaping at Lois, mesmerized. He'd never seen her move like that. They had never went out dancing, primarily because of his two left feet, and beside her little strip tease at the Windgate a few years ago, he never guessed Lois could move so…provocatively.

Clark and Oliver stood rooted to their spots until the song ended and the girls turned to each other to high five with both hands. "Damn, ladies. What a sight to walk in on."

Lois and Chloe looked toward the door to see Clark and Oliver standing there, one smiling, one just staring. Chloe walked over to Oliver and gave him a 'hello' kiss.

"Smallville," Lois said a bit shocked. Even in jeans, a grey t-shirt, and a dark jacket he looked incredibly handsome. "I didn't expect to see you here."

"Uh, yeah," Clark said, shaking his head to clear the image of a dancing Lois out of his mind. "It was Oliver's idea. I don't mean to intrude."

"No, no you're not intruding. I just thought you would've had something else to do," Lois said, slowly moving closer to him.

"Like what? I have the day off from the Planet, too."

"Right, well I figured you'd find something to occupy your time," she said, not wanting to reveal that she knew his secret.

"I'm not the one who has a difficult time sitting still. That would be you," he smiled and took a step toward her.

"I'm happier when I'm busy," she said softly, staring up into his eyes.

"Is that a fact?" he smirked down at her.

She nodded, unable to voice a comment through the nervous lump in her throat. She swallowed. "It's, uh, it's really good to see you."

"Yeah, I'm glad you're back." Clark then pulled her into his arms.

Lois closed her eyes and savored the feel of being in his embrace again. She inhaled the scent that was Clark Kent; the smell of spice and crisp hay.

Clark had his eyes closed, too, committing her to memory. The way she felt against his body and her unique scent; a combination of lavender and wild cherry mixed with the smell of light sweat, which he found strangely alluring.

Lois knew she had to let go of him soon before she did something she shouldn't. Reluctantly letting her arms fall to her sides, she took a step back from him. "So, what brings you two by?"

"Well, we were free, so I thought we'd hang out," Oliver replied.

"Oh," Lois said and looked at Clark. "Chloe and I were just gonna hang around here, but we could go to Metropolis and catch dinner or something."

"Whatever you girls wanna do," Oliver said as he went to lounge out on the couch.

"Umm, okay. We could go bowling in town. No need for a two and a half hour ride into the city," Chloe said, then began walking away. "I'm gonna shower first."

"Don't take too long," Lois called after her as the younger cousin left the living room. A scoff was heard from the bedroom and Lois grinned. She then turned in the direction of the fridge, where she went to grab a bottle of water. "So what's new, boys?" She asked before taking a swig.

"I'll tell you what's not new," Oliver said. "Meetings. I've had one every day this week. And I'm talking about the boring ones; long, grueling meetings. I think I actually fell asleep once."

"Bummer," Lois smiled. "Well at least you didn't get a serious tan trekking the sand dunes in Cairo. I swear I still have sand in places. And man, am I grateful for the weather around here. Heat and I don't mix well."

"Well, you wear that tan really well," Clark said before he could stop himself.

She smiled brightly and the faint blush in her cheeks warmed Clark's heart. "So how about you, Smallville? Tipped any cows lately?"

"Funny," Clark playfully glared at her. "Nothing besides breaking news in the bullpen. A new member joined the Planet."

"Really? Who is it?" Lois asked. "I haven't had a chance to swing by since I came back."

"Her name's Cat Grant."

Lois blinked and placed her bottle on the kitchen counter. "Wait a minute. Cat Grant? You mean Mother Theresa in six inch heels who stole my morning television job, Cat Grant?"

Clark grinned and shook his head. "No, this is another Cat Grant."

"Does she look like the other one?"

Oliver had to hold back his laughter. He'd never seen Lois jealous and this was definitely a Kodak moment. Clark, on the other hand, looked surprised by the question. "Uh, well, she's blonde and has a slim figure, I guess."

"Checking her out, huh, Smallville?" Lois nodded with a pointed look.

"What? No, i-it was a simple observation. Kind of hard not to look at her since she sits across from me," Clark defended himself, but didn't realize he put himself back onto the chopping block.

"What?!" Lois advanced on him until she was standing directly in front of him. "She's at _my_ desk?"

"W-well, Lois. It's kinda n-not your desk anymore," he stammered as he took a step back.

"Are you saying you don't want me as your partner?"

"What? Where did you get that from?"

"Well, you better get ready because as soon as I return to the Planet, I'm taking my job back." She accented her words with hard pokes to Clark's chest and then turned on her heel and walked away.

Clark was left with his mouth hanging open and staring at the now empty space in front of him. He shook his head as if to clear the confusion. He looked over at Oliver who was holding a fist to his mouth, trying to fight his laughter, and asked, "What just happened?"

(((o)))

After rushing Chloe out of the shower and hopping in herself, Lois took as quick a shower as she could and then worked around Chloe as they both got dressed in the bathroom. Once they were finished, they went out to join the guys again. Only this time, Lois was clad in dark low rise jeans with her favorite white belt around her waist and a maroon t-shirt that barely met the waistline of her jeans. Her hair fell down her back in subtle curls. Chloe donned jeans of a lighter shade with a brown cloth belt around her waist and a dark green shirt that had sleeves which stopped at her elbows. Her hair was wavy around her face.

"I love green on you," Oliver smiled as he stood from the couch. He straightened his jacket over a thin purple long-sleeved shirt, which he paired with faded jeans, and walked over to Chloe.

"Why do you think there's an abundance of green in my closet?" she smirked.

"No kidding. It looks like a leprechaun threw up in there," Lois rolled her eyes.

"Stop being so bitter," Chloe playfully nudged her cousin.

"Stop being so cute," Lois shrugged and grabbed her brown leather jacket off the rack by the door.

"You're just lonely so you can't appreciate our coupliness."

"Even when I'm in a relationship, it's nauseating to see couply couples," Lois said as she pulled her hair from inside her jacket.

Chloe shook her head and grabbed her green leather jacket. "So you aren't that way with your boyfriends?"

"No. I mean, we can be sweet, but not sickly sweet."

"You just need to get back in the game," Oliver said, as he wrapped an arm around Chloe. "I know someone who is perfect for you."

Lois quickly glanced at Clark. He looked hurt, but was trying to hide it. This was strange. Why would Oliver and Chloe talk about finding her a date right in front of him? "Look, I appreciate the offer, but I'm not interested in meeting anyone. So, let's drop the topic and go bowling, okay?" She left the apartment with Clark following suit.

Oliver and Chloe looked at each other, then left the apartment. They arrived at the bowling alley about twenty minutes later, went in, paid, and got their bowling shoes. They sat down at their lane and started lacing up their shoes. Clark was finished and went to get bowling balls.

Lois watched him walk away before turning to Oliver and Chloe. "Hey, what was all that about at the Talon?"

"What was what?" Chloe asked as she finished tying her shoes.

"Why were you guys talking about finding me a date right in front of Clark?"

"Well, we just wanna see you happy and you and Clark aren't together anymore. I thought he could handle hearing about you going on a date," Oliver said.

"Don't you think it's still too soon? I mean, we only broke up a couple weeks ago," Lois said.

"You're right. I'm sorry. But you two need to get back out there. I think it's time to move on, don't you?" Oliver gave her a look.

Lois looked at them for a moment before her gaze landed on Clark, who was a couple lanes over inspecting a ball off the rack. She sighed and shook her head.

A few minutes later, Clark came back carrying two bowling balls. He put them down on the ball return belt. "So how are we playing? Singles? Teams?"

"Teams," Lois replied as she stood up. "More fun."

"Let's do boys against girls for the first game," Oliver said.

"Alright, then. Prepare to lose because Chloe and I happen to be aces at this game," Lois smirked.

"You haven't seen me play, Legs. Wanna put your money where your mouth is?"

"I know what I'd like to put on your mouth," Lois said. Oliver wiggled his eyebrows at her suggestively. "I meant my fist, you pervert."

Oliver laughed and left with Chloe to get bowling balls. Clark sat down and stared at his shoes. Lois bit her lip and walked over to him. "Why the long face, Smallville?"

"Just a lot on my mind," he threw her a small smile.

She sat down next to him and bumped his knee with hers. "You can still talk to me, you know. I'm still your friend."

That's not what he wanted to hear. He sighed, then looked at her. She was staring expectantly at him. He was blown away by how beautiful she was; the way her hair fell around her face, the way her skin looked so flawless, the way her hazel eyes flicked back and forth between his, the way her full lips just taunted him. He couldn't keep his mind from recalling the way her mouth felt against his; so soft. He licked his lips, practically remembering her taste. Damn, she was so close.

Lois's gaze drifted from his eyes to his mouth when he licked his lips. Those lips she used to spend hours pressed against. She didn't realize it would be this difficult to be this close to him again and not be able to touch him the way she wanted to. It took all her will to pull her gaze from his lips and back to his eyes. Was it her imagination or was he looking at her the way he used to? Wait, was he leaning into her?

Suddenly, Clark couldn't take it anymore. He leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. It lasted about a second and then he pulled away. "Sorry. I just, I needed to get it out of my system." He gave her a smile.

"Right, yeah," Lois blinked in rapid succession and stood up. "And now that that's over, let's bowl."

"Yeah," Clark cleared his throat.

Oliver and Chloe came back, each carrying bowling balls and the game started. Oliver and Clark were good at bowling, but the girls were kicking their asses big time. They were getting strikes like it was their day job. Naturally, they won.

"I don't get it. How are you so good?" Clark asked.

"Every time Lois would come to Metropolis when we were younger, we'd go bowling at least once every visit," Chloe answered.

"Okay, next game, we're doing couples," Oliver said mindlessly while picking up his ball.

Lois and Clark looked at each other. "Uh, there's only one couple here," Lois said.

Oliver looked up at them and grimaced slightly. "Right. Of course. I meant Chloe and me against you and Clark."

"I'm gonna go get some food," Lois said as she walked away. She couldn't believe the speed of her racing heart. As if it wasn't already hard to be around Clark, but now her mind kept going back to the kiss they shared. It was gentle, but oh so Clark Kent. And she wanted more. "No, Lois. That's bad territory to venture into. You came back to help him, not be with him." She continued to scold herself while walking to the food counter. She was so lost in her thoughts she didn't realize she was walking into someone's path until they bumped into each other. "Oof! Watch it!"

"You're the one not watching where you're going," the stranger replied. It was a man. He looked to be about six feet with a medium build. His blonde hair was short and his eyes were a deep green.

"Well, it takes two to bump into each other. Obviously you didn't see me, either," Lois shot back.

"It's a shame. An ugly mouth on such a beautiful body," the man said, looking her up and down.

"Excuse me?" she scoffed, placing her hands on her hips.

"Maybe I can overlook it," he grinned, moving closer. He placed a hand on her back and pulled her into him.

"I've got a better idea," she said, pushing him away. She raised her hand and slapped him across the face.

"What the hell?" He grabbed his cheek in pain and looked at her in disbelief. "Why you little-"

"Is there a problem here?"

Lois turned to see Clark walking up to them. He was walking straighter and his face held a firm expression. "This guy was trying to cop a feel," she gestured to the man before her.

Clark's face changed and he took a bold step toward the man. "That true?"

The man was almost a head shorter than Clark and he shook slightly under his tall demeanor. "N-no. She bumped into me."

"And that gives you the right to insult me and then try to grab me?" Lois asked angrily.

"You touched my _girlfriend_?" Clark emphasized the last word with another step toward the man. Lois's heart did a little flip at the term.

"I'm sorry, man. I didn't know she was taken," the man cowered away.

"Even if she was single, you do not treat women like that," Clark said in a deep, commanding tone.

"Yeah, okay. Sorry," he said quickly and then walked away swiftly.

Clark was standing between the man and Lois, so when he softened his posture, she saw all the muscles in his back relax. Gently, she placed a hand on his shoulder. "Thanks," she said. He turned to look at her. "But I was handling it."

He shook his head. "I just saw him touching you, so I thought I could scare him."

"Well, you did a good job," she smiled. "I don't think anyone will be bothering me again tonight, _boyfriend_."

He blushed at that and took a step back. "Yeah, sorry. I'm sure he assumed it, so I said it."

"Don't sweat it. You were just pretending," she shrugged and then patted his chest. "Now I came over here for food so…" She walked around him to the food counter.

He watched her walk away and sighed. She deflected everything so easily. Again, he shook his head and walked back to the lane Oliver and Chloe were waiting in. Lois let out a breath once she was no longer within ten feet of Clark. She wasn't sure how much more she could take. If he so much as looked at her she swore she would pounce on him. Maybe hanging out with him wasn't such a good idea.

(((o)))

"Yes!" Chloe squealed as she got yet another strike. She turned to Oliver and they high fived. "Beat that!"

Lois stuck her tongue out at her playfully and then turned to Clark whose turn was up. "Alright, Smallville. Just remember what I told you."

He nodded and grabbed his ball. Lois stood by the ball return and watched him carefully. He drew his hand back, ball intact, and then swung, letting it go and watched with bated breath as it rolled toward the pins. All the pins were hit down and he shouted in triumph. He turned to Lois, who was grinning, and moved the few steps toward her. He picked her up and spun her around before putting her back down.

"Great job!" she beamed and grabbed his face in her hands. She kissed him on the lips, like it was the most natural thing to do.

Oliver and Chloe, having missed the first kiss they shared earlier, turned to each other and grinned. It was slowly coming together. Lois pulled away quickly and stumbled back. She cleared her throat and turned her back to Clark. "That needs to stop happening," she mumbled to herself, forgetting momentarily about his super hearing. Upon hearing it, though, Clark took it the wrong way and his face fell. He couldn't be around her anymore, not as friends anyway. It was too hard to be so close, yet so far away. It hurt too much. He could lift a freight train over his head, but he wasn't strong enough for this.

"You know what? I'm not really feeling well suddenly. I think I'm gonna head home," he said, looking at the two blondes sitting down.

Lois turned to look at him in confusion. Now _that _she knew was a lie. He doesn't get sick, does he? "Smallville, come on," she said. "You can't leave me in the middle of a game. I thought we were partners."

He looked at her sadly. She was smiling at him pleadingly. He really couldn't resist her because he soon found himself saying, "okay," and giving her a soft smile in return.

The rest of the game was kind of strained, however. Oliver and Chloe took it upon themselves not to touch each other in an intimate way to reduce the awkward tension between the other two. Clark tried to keep his distance from Lois. He knew if she was close enough, he would just pull her into his arms and whisk her away. Lois, on the other hand, wasn't enjoying the unexpected cold shoulder. When she would compliment him or encourage him, he would just nod and walk away from her. When she would touched him in a friendly manner, he would stiffen and, again, walk away. When did they get to this place? When they could barely talk to each other, touch each other, _stand_ by each other. That couldn't keep on like this.

Lois stood up and held her hand out to Chloe. "Restroom?"

Her cousin took her hand and the girls walked away. Clark sighed and slouched down in a seat. Oliver moved to sit next to him. "What's going on, man?" Oliver asked.

"I can't do this, Oliver," he shook his head. "I can't just sit here and act like I'm her friend. I want her. I want her like I've never wanted anything or anyone."

"So then get her back."

"She doesn't want me back."

Oliver looked at him incredulously. "What makes you think she doesn't want you? She can't handle being around you just as much as you can't handle it. She's just better at hiding it than you. And if I recall correctly, she kissed you tonight."

"I kissed her first," Clark replied.

"What? When?"

"When you and Chloe went to get balls. I couldn't help it. I kissed her."

"See? You guys are on the same page," Oliver said.

"What about that guy you said was perfect for her?" Clark asked stupidly.

"Clark, it's you. Chloe and I have been trying to push you guys back together. You need to get back out there. Together."

"Really?"

"You belong together," Oliver smiled.

Clark finally smiled a genuine smile.

(((o)))

"Chloe, I'm at the end of my rope here," Lois said as they walked to restrooms.

"What's going on with you and Clark?" Chloe asked.

"I don't know. At first, we were okay. We were friendly and all, but then he kissed me and-"

"Lois, you kissed him."

She looked at her younger cousin for a second. "No, the first time. He kissed me."

"What? When did this happen?" Chloe asked and her brows crinkled in confusion.

"When you and Ollie left us alone earlier. I was trying to get him to open up to me about whatever was bothering him and then he kissed me. Then he said he just wanted to get it out of his system."

"You know he was lying, right?"

Lois looked at her nervously. "Was he?"

"Of course he was! He thinks you don't want him," Chloe said as she pushed open the door to the ladies' room. "After all, you broke up with him."

"Well, I do want him. So much."

"Then get him," the blonde smiled.

"But I can't interfere."

"Interfere?"

"Yeah, you know, with his-" Lois stopped herself. "I mean, I want to keep things professional at the office."

"You can do that even when you're together. You've done it before," Chloe mentioned. "Look, stop overthinking and second guessing and ask yourself; what do you want?"

Lois looked at her for a moment and then smiled. "Okay, but first, I gotta pee."

(((o)))

When the cousins returned to lane, Oliver and Clark were eating while waiting.

"Hey! Don't hog all the cheese fries!" Lois berated as she dove in to snag a few of them.

"Sorry, we got hungry waiting for you," Oliver said before popping a fry into his mouth.

"We didn't take that long," Chloe said as she looked up at the monitor overhead. "Lois, it's your turn."

The taller woman nodded as she hurriedly placed more fries in her mouth before wiping her fingers on a napkin and then going to take her turn. She swung and knocked down seven pins.

"Oh, no strike for you, Legs!" Oliver teased.

"No," Lois agreed and grabbed her ball from the ball return. She took her next turn and hit the remaining pins. She turned to her friends with a cheeky grin. "But I do get a spare."

The game continued with playful banter between the four. The air was lighter now that Lois and Clark were certain of their respective feelings. They smiled and laughed with each other and once the game was over, they tallied up the points.

"Well, looks like Smallville and I won," Lois beamed.

Oliver scoffed. "By two points."

"Two points that make you a loser," she teased.

"You know, you two always have this competitive thing going on," Chloe said with a shake of her head.

"Ollie just can't stand to lose."

"Lois is a sore winner," he retorted.

"And you're both irritating me, so drop it," Chloe playfully scolded.

"So, shall we play another game or find something else to do?" Lois asked.

"Let's grab some dinner," Chloe said as she went to switch her shoes.

The other three did the same and grabbed their coats. Oliver and Chloe were holding hands while they walked out of the bowling alley. Clark glanced to his side at Lois briefly before reaching for her hand. She looked down at their joined hands and then up at him. He looked at her and smiled to which she returned happily. Clark's heart did a flip in his chest when he felt her squeeze his hand.

"Where are we gonna eat?" Lois asked as they cruised down the freeway. Oliver was driving and Chloe was sitting in the passenger side, which put Lois and Clark in the backseat. When they had turned out of the bowling alley parking lot, Lois grabbed Clark's hand and held it in her lap. It was darker outside with it being around eight in the evening now, but she swore she saw him grin from the corner of her eye.

"I'm in the mood for Chinese," Chloe said.

"Well, then Chinese it is," Oliver stated as he continued down the road.

They pulled up to a China Buffet about ten minutes later and they were seated shortly. They made small talk while they waited for their drinks and when they came, the four went to the buffet line and stacked their plates. Once back at the table, they all began to eat. Oliver's plate consisted of pork fried rice, General Tso's chicken, and two egg rolls. Chloe's plate was divided into two sections: one side was chicken and broccoli with white rice and the other was lo mein. Clark was digging into a plate full of pork and broccoli with white rice and a side of chicken fried rice and had three spring rolls on a separate, smaller plate. Lois's plate was generously topped with vegetable free lo mein and had teriyaki chicken on another plate.

Lois twirled some lo mein around her fork and then placed it in her mouth, then grabbed a spring roll from Clark. He, in turn, snagged some of her lo mein. Oliver and Chloe, who was sitting across from them, watched as they continued to share food and banter with each other in between mouthfuls of food. When Lois was nearly finished with her Sprite, Clark had silently put his Coke on the other side of his plate. She smiled and drank it. Then she kissed him on the cheek in gratitude.

"I don't really like the desserts here," Lois said.

"Yeah, we should go get some ice cream," Chloe said.

"Yes!" Lois agreed eagerly.

Oliver looked at Clark. "We don't even have any say."

"You wanna say no to them?" he asked with a pointed look.

Oliver looked at Lois, who was smirking, and then to Chloe, who was doing the same. Then he turned his gaze back to Clark. "No."

"Good answer," Chloe smiled and kissed him softly.

Lois and Clark looked at each other and smiled. The men split the bill, paid, and then the four were off to the nearest Baskin Robins.

(((o)))

"Smallville! Stop!" Lois giggled as she pushed against his chest with one hand and held her ice cream cone away with the other.

"Come on, Lois. I just want a taste," he grinned and wrapped an arm around her waist to keep her close.

"You have your own cone! Back off mine!"

"I didn't say I wanted your ice cream," he said and she stopped squirming in his arms.

Lois looked up into his eyes and her heart began to beat erratically. "Is that so?"

He smiled down at her before leaning in to kiss her softly on the lips. She deepened it, reveling in him, and remembering just how much she missed feeling his lips against hers. Then, suddenly, Clark pulled away and swiped her nose with his ice cream.

"Smallville!"

Clark laughed and pressed his cone to her mouth and she began squirming again. He leaned in and slowly licked the ice cream off her lips.

Lois wasn't having it, though, because she rubbed her mouth against his, spreading the ice cream on his face. He laughed again and tried to pull away from her.

"Aww, Ollie! Look at them being sickeningly sweet," Chloe teased.

Lois turned to look at her cousin with a playful glare. "It's the ice cream, not us."

"Sure it is," Chloe nodded.

"Anyway, thanks to Smallville," Lois threw him a mock glare. "Now I have to go clean my face."

"Well, thanks to you, I have to clean mine, too," Clark retorted.

"It's your fault!" she growled as they walked toward the bathroom.

"Oh, what are we gonna do with them?" Chloe laughed before she took a lick of her ice cream.

Oliver didn't answer as he was transfixed by Chloe's tongue on her cone. When he didn't answer, she looked at him expectantly. He blinked once and moved his eyes to hers. "Huh?"

She laughed again and gently slapped him in the back of the head. "Pervert."

(((o)))

Lois walked into the Kents' kitchen and turned on the lights as Clark, Oliver, and Chloe followed her inside. "Somebody get the popcorn – extra butter – and I'll pick the movie," she said as she removed her jacket and placed it on the coat rack by the door.

"Oh, no. If you choose, I'll be dreaming of explosions tonight," Oliver said. He moved into the living room with Chloe.

"Nothing wrong with that," Lois smiled.

"How about I choose?" Chloe asked and rifled through the movie collection by the television.

"No sappy chick flick, cuz."

"No problem," the blonde replied.

Lois turned to look into the kitchen. Her gaze was met with the image of Clark unwrapping a popcorn packet at the island. Her dirty, dirty mind kicked into overdrive and she entertained herself with the fantasy of Clark unwrapping her…

"Earth to Lois?"

The woman in question shook her head and blinked in rapid succession before her eyes landed on a smirking kryptonian. Her cheeks warmed, but she refused to let him get the satisfaction. "What? Not my fault I really love popcorn."

"Yeah, that's what had your heated gaze," he teased.

She quirked an eyebrow. "And what makes you think it doesn't?"

Clark's lips tilted into a seductive smile. He rounded the counter to move towards her. Her heart raced as he neared her, his eyes never wavering from hers. When he was standing in front of her, it took everything in her not to touch him. Then, he leaned down and kissed her softly. When he pulled away, she swayed forward a bit, following his lips unconsciously. She caught herself and blushed full force. She looked up at him and found him smirking victoriously. Then, without a word, he walked away, leaving her in a daze. She stared after him, watching him continue his work on getting the popcorn ready. How could he be so calm? Wasn't he as affected as she was?

Okay, this was it. No more beating around the bush.

With a decision made and a set jaw, Lois marched toward the back door and grabbed Clark by the arm on the way. Though confused, he followed her. She pushed open the door, pulled him out on the porch, and slammed the door shut behind them.

"Lois, what's the matter?" he immediately asked, his brows furrowing in concern.

Her features held an expression of slight frustration and her arms were crossed over her chest. "What are we doing?"

"Huh?" He took a step back. "We're about to watch a movie-"

"No. No, what are _we_ doing, Clark?" She moved a hand back and forth in the space between them. "What is this?"

"What do you want it to be?" he asked nervously.

"No, Clark! I'm asking you what this is. You tell me."

"Why are you so upset all of a sudden?"

"Because you won't answer the question!" she shouted. "Stop deflecting and tell me straight! What do you want?"

If only the answer was that easy. He stared at her anxiously. There's still so much he needed to sort out for himself; still so much he didn't understand.

Lois was getting fed up with his silent stature. "Clark!" She gave him shove to the chest. "What do you want?" She pushed him again.

"What is your problem?" he shouted, but took each shove she gave, backing up until he was up against the porch railing.

"You!" she replied angrily. "You never give me an honest answer. I never minded before because you always have your reasons, but now it matters because it's at both our expenses. I need the truth. Stop thinking about what I want or what might go wrong. Tell me what _you_ want."

"It's not that simple," he began.

"The hell it isn't. You make it difficult for yourself. Stop thinking. Just feel."

He stared at her with his puppy dog eyes. "I…" She looked at him expectantly. "Lois, I…I have to…I need to tell you something first."

"No," she shook her head. "Tell me how you feel."

"This may change how you feel-"

"This isn't about me. Stop overthinking."

"Lois, please. It's important."

"What you want is important, too, Clark. You spend all your time thinking about everyone else, you forget to ask yourself; what do you want?"

"I…" He paused to take a deep breath. "I want you. Always and forever…because I-I love you and you're all I'll ever need."

Lois swore her heart stopped beating for a moment. Sure, she'd been egging him to confess his feelings for the last ten minutes, but to actually hear it made her feel like she could fly.

"You will never understand what it means to hear you say that to me," she murmured. "I love you, Smallville."

Clark's face visibly relaxed and he smiled the sweetest smile she'd ever seen. His features lit up and he tugged her closer so now she was pressed up against him. "You could never understand what it means to me, either. I love you so much."

"I love you, too," she said again and pulled him into a very passionate kiss.

He responded instantly, tangling one hand in her hair while the other gripped her waist tightly. Lois moaned when his tongue pushed past her lips and met hers. That sound awakened something inside Clark and he twirled them around quickly, pinning her against the railing, and pushed a leg between hers causing their hips to cradle each other. They unconsciously rocked against each other as their kisses grew deeper and more carnal. He could feel her heat just as acutely as she could feel his desire. Again, she moaned.

"Lois," he growled, breaking away from her mouth. His lips were attached to her neck a split second later.

"Clark," she whimpered, her fingers gripping his hair roughly.

His hands skimmed up her back under her shirt, caressing her smooth skin languidly. "I want you…like I've never wanted anyone."

"You have me," she whispered.

He pulled his lips away from her long enough to look at her flushed face. "I hope I still do after I tell you something."

She brushed the hair off his forehead and smiled encouragingly. "I'm sure it won't change anything."

"It might, Lois," he said, disentangling himself from her. "This isn't something I tell people. For the people who do know…their lives change because of it." He turned his back to her. "I don't want it to change anything between us."

"Smallville, whatever it is, you can tell me." She placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Okay. Well, I don't know how to tell you gently, so I'm just gonna come out with it," he said, then took a deep breath. "I'm the Blur. I know I should've told you sooner, like when we first started dating, but I didn't want to put you in danger. Ultimately, you were still in danger anyway, so I guess that excuse is invalid." He tried to make a joke out of it to hide his fear. "Then you raved on and on about how great the Blur is, and don't get me wrong. I am so grateful for your support and I appreciate how far you're willing to go to protect him. But that also got me to thinking. Would you ever feel that way about me? I mean, the Clark Kent side of me. Would you – could you – love me for me and not just for my powers?"

He paused for a quick moment. "The truth is I was scared, Lois. And a little jealous. I know, it's pretty stupid to be jealous of yourself, but I was. I wanted to hear you say all those things about me, the farm boy. I needed to know that you wanted me for me. Talking to you as the Blur, I saw another side of you that I didn't see when you talked to me as Clark. I'll admit that hurt a bit, that you couldn't trust me with certain parts of you and that's okay, because I'm sure I hurt you by doing the same thing.

"I'm a hypocrite. I expected you not to lie to me or keep secrets when I do the same thing. I wanted to tell you, but then you reminded me of all the reasons I couldn't and I'm not blaming you, I just went about this all wrong and I hurt you in the process both as the Blur and Clark. I'm so sorry for making you think that I didn't trust you or care about you enough to let you in. I just wanted to keep you safe, that was all that mattered to me."

When he turned around to look at her and beg for her forgiveness, the sight of her made his insides twist. She was crying. Her eyes were red and teary, her cheeks wet, and her nose tinged pink. The breath was stolen from him as if he was slapped with green kryptonite. Why does he always hurt the ones he loves? "No, Lois, please don't cry. I didn't mean to upset you. I'm sorry. Please, don't…"

She moved toward him and grabbed his face in her hands. "Smallville," she cried as she smiled up at him. "I can't love you any more than I do right now." She placed a soft kiss on his lips. "You are so selfless and being a little selfish isn't wrong. I understand why you didn't tell me for so long and I'm not mad at you for anything. I contradicted myself in the end there, but that doesn't matter. What matters is that you told me now. You trusted yourself enough to let me in and I'm lucky to be in that part of your life. And, Clark, I've loved you long before I knew you were the Blur. It's you, the dorky farm boy, that I love. My Smallville. I will never see you as anything but. You're my only one."

He reached up with shaky hands to brush her tears away. He was on the verge of tears himself. "To have your love, Lois, is the greatest gift anyone could ever give me. I hope I'm always worthy of you."

"You are. It's me who needs to work hard to keep you," she chuckled feebly.

"No," he whispered. "You will always have me." He tucked her hair behind her ear and leaned in. "Because this is where I belong…in the only arms strong enough to hold me."

She quickly met him halfway and kissed him with all she was worth. Everything else was forgotten. Their worries, their fears, their break up, the movie, Chloe and Oliver, everything. Nothing else matter outside of this because this was it; they were back.

**FIN**

**And that's all folks. Well, for this story anyway. Hit that review button, readers. I can't wait to hear what you think.**


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